Mushroom or Toadstool - what's in a name?

At one time there was the norm to
refer to edible cap-and-stem fungi as mushrooms and all poisonous,
inedible or doubtful ones, such as the lurid bolete shown here
(left), as toadstools. The trouble was, fungi were distrusted by
nearly everyone, and very few of the edible and wholesome fungi
were categorised as mushrooms.

Also significant is the fact that most fungi are neither good to eat nor poisonous: they are simply inedible - in the same way that cardboard cannot really be classed as good to eat even when its manufacturing process is such that it contains nothing that is toxic to human beings.

Given the remarkably rapid appearance of quite large fruit bodies,
including Agaricus campestris, Field Mushrooms, like these (left), which could emerge
and change the landscape overnight following rain, it is
understandable that fungi have long been treated with suspicion.
The implication is that these 'toadstools' have something to do
with darkness and evil.

Many good edible fungi are shunned by
people who think that they are 'toadstools' and therefore
poisonous. For example, provided it is properly cooked, Honey fungus, Armillaria mellea (left), is an edible and wholesome fungus.

The term 'toadstool' has very little real significance today.
Even the words 'Mushroom' and 'fungi' need to be qualified with edible,
inedible, hallucinogenicor poisonous if you really
want to ensure that the message is clear and unambiguous.

Fascinated by Fungi

A superb, comprehensive introduction to mushrooms and other fungi. Identify hundreds of commonly-found species plus many beautiful/weird rarities.

445 pages; 1,000+ colour pictures. Jargon-free information you won't find in any other book. Seriously helpful in an entertaining style.